05 Future of Technology

April 9, 2025 - I was invited to speak with a visiting group from the Society for Information Management (SIM) during their Student Day at Nike. SIM is the world’s foremost nonprofit membership association for technology executives and industry leaders, dedicated to developing, enabling, and empowering exceptional IT leadership through networking, knowledge sharing, and leadership development. Their mission is to bring together IT professionals to share best practices, mentor the next generation, and advance the value of technology within organizations. I believe SIM chose to visit Nike to give students and early-career professionals a firsthand look at how technology and leadership intersect at a company known for innovation and transformation.

06 North America Supply Chain Talk

April 15, 2025 - On a beautiful Oregon morning, five busloads of Nike’s North America Marketplace Supply Chain team, comprising 225 employees led by Murali Kandasamy, embarked on a journey southward to Eugene. This was more than a corporate outing—it was a pilgrimage to the birthplace of Nike, a chance to walk in the footsteps of legends such as Bill Bowerman, Phil Knight, and Steve Prefontaine, and reconnect with our company’s storied heritage.

07 50th Prefontaine Classic

It was May 30th, 1975. A ringing phone jarred me awake at six o’clock. The call was from a former teammate, and his words hit me like a punch to the gut: “Pre’s dead.”

I sat there in stunned silence, trying to process what I had just heard. Less than twelve hours earlier, I had been at Hayward Field—not just as a spectator, but as a competitor.

08 Balance in Work and Life

April 17, 2025 – A Nike move to a new country can be as exhilarating as it is daunting. When I heard that Demaree Raveaux and her family were about to begin their adventure in Taiwan, I couldn’t help but share my own journey there nearly five decades ago. Back then, my wife Mary and I were just starting out, 24 years old – full of anticipation, excitement, and, to be honest, a some uncertainty.

Transitions like these are more than just a change of scenery; they introduce new rhythms, new challenges, and lessons you can’t always anticipate. If there’s one thing I’ve learned – which I wanted to pass along – it’s that navigating culture shock is a part of the journey, and finding a healthy work-life balance isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential.

09 Process

Post related to Process will go here.

For rough drafts ...

10 Bowerman Regarding Purpose

School officially opened in late September and Bowerman held the first meeting of the incoming freshmen. We gathered in Hayward’s East Grandstands and waited for Bill. As we did so, I looked around at what was probably close to fifty freshmen. All but three of us were walk-ons.

Donald Sutherland playing Bill Bowerman in Without Limits

Suddenly, there was Bowerman standing in front—in person— as my coach.

11 Links to Videos

The Videos tab features a curated selection of videos related to "Steve's Corner" and the "Made in USA" initiative. Watch interviews, presentations, and behind-the-scenes footage that showcase our progress, challenges, and successes. This section aims to provide a dynamic and engaging way to stay connected with our project.

	Episode	Title	Featuring …
	#1	The Crazy Dreamers	Nissho Iwai relationship, Phil Knight, Jeff Johnson, Tom Sumeragi, Amanda Tucker, Chuck Gatchell, Ellen Devlin.
	#2	Growth	Feng Tay, CH Wang, Ron Lish, Jaycee Pribulsky, Steve Roth, Claire Wahl, Steve Bence, Rick Lower, Dave Taylor, Nico Fearn.
	#3	Apparel	Far Eastern, Ernie Rose, Judy Lee, Matt Wolff, Chad Pfleiger, Janice Slonecker, Lindsay Gay, Michelle Miracle.
	#4	Performance	Chang Shin, Whanil Jeong, Laurie Hatch, Cimarron Nix, Jerry Karver, Ron Nelson, John Woodman, Yoonie Yoon.
	#5	Innovation	Tae Kwang, YC Park, Lalit Monteiro, Phil McCartney, Chris Linn, Steve Roth, Lucie Browning, Amir Morgan, Yun Mi Kang.
	#6	Protect the Future of Sport	Feng Tay, Far Eastern, Jaycee Pribulsky, Noel Kinder, Jeffrey Chen, Darcy Winslow, Neeraj Narayan, Georgia Liu, Ken Hsien.
	#7	There is No Finish Line	Greg Bui, Mike Brewer, Mark Griffie, Amanda Tucker, Angela Chu, Terry Farris, Kerryn Foster.

1972: Gary Kurtz email

Hi Steve,

It’s easy to understand why the photo that you took of Dellinger, Jim Ryun, Phil, and Pre is very dear to you. It unknowingly set the stage for so much of your life.

 

It’s been a long time since we’ve talked. I worked for NIKE just over twenty years, which doesn’t compare to your forty-plus years.

Storytelling

OREGON WORKOUTS: 6 MONTHS

My formal workouts at Oregon during my freshman year was only 6 months … from 9/21/71 until my first outdoor race on 3/18/72.

The biggest lesson that I learned was consistency. Each individual workout wasn't all that hard, in fact the hardest workouts were the most exhilarating, but getting started was often the most difficult. Especially getting up at 6:30 or 7:00 on a weekday morning to get in our regular morning run. Thank goodness I was in the dorm and had teammates waiting for me for that morning run. Looking out the window at a dark, cold, rainy morning wasn't very inviting to get out of bed. But it made a difference.

TUESDAY WORKOUTS

4.  A December workout at Hayward Field. From left to right: Pre, Knut Kvalheim, Steve Bence, Mark Feig, Lars Kapaung.

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9/21/71		3 sets of 3 x 330 (total of 9 x 330), easy mile, 6 x 100, 3 mile easy run
9/28/71		8 x 440, easy 3 mile run, 6 x 110
10/5/71		2 x 1320, 2 x 880, 2 x 44, 2 x 220, easy run, 4 x 330
10/18/71		3 x 880, 3 x 440, 3 x 220, 3 x 110
10/26/71		3 x 660 (1:30, 1:27, 1:24), 20 minute easy run, 3 x 330 (45, 43, 41), 3 x 110
11/2/71		1 x 550 (55 at the 440), 1 x 330 (39), 2 x 165, 4 mile easy run, 6 x 330 (cutdown 48 to 42)
11/9/71		15 x 220 (cutdown 32 to 28)
11/16/71		Mile (4:36), 1320 (3:22), 880 (2:09), 440 (63), 4 x 220, mile easy
11/30/71		6 x (220 in 27 then 440 in 90), 4 mile easy run, 3 x 330
12/7/71		6 x 330 (41-43), 3 mile easy run, 6 x 330 (47, 44, 41)
1/25/72		440 (53), 1 mile easy run, 440 (52.1), 1 mile easy run, 2 x 220 (24.9, 24.5), short rest, 2 x 110
2/1/72		6 x 110 (fast, all under 12), 3 mile easy run, 6 x 220 (cutdown 30 to 25)
2/15/72		6 x 330 (all under 41 with last in 38.2), 3 mile easy jog, 6 x 110 (started at 16 and last was 11.5)
3/1/72		550 (53 at 440), 550 jog, 330 (39), 550 jog, 2 x 165 (19), 3 miles easy on grass, 3 x 330 (47, 44, 41.5)

THURSDAY WORKOUTS

9/23/71		16 x 165 (24-25 seconds), 3 miles easy
9/30/71		3 sets of 4 x 165 (total 12 x 165), first set in 25, second set in 22, third set in 25, 3 mile easy run, 3 x 330
10/7/71		4 x 165, 4 mile Lydiard Fartlek, 4 x 220
10/14/71		3 x 110 (12), 20 minute easy run, 3 x 165
10/28/71		First & Last 220 drill … 220 (24), 440 (90), 220 (25), fast 4 mile run, 3 x 330
11/11/71		2 x 110, 6 mile fast run, 4 x 110
11/18/71		6 x 330 (42), 3 miles easy, 6 x 110 (cutdown 15 to 12)
12/2/71		First & Last 220 drill … 220 (24.9), 440 (81), 220 (26), 3 miles easy, 3 x 330 (45, 44, 38)
1/20/72		6 x 165 then inside to Mac Court because of wind & rain
1/27/72		2 x 220 (28, 27), 3 miles easy, 4 x 110
2/17/72		2 x 110, 4 mile easy run, 4 x 110
3/9/72		3 x 330 (44, 42, 37.5), 4 mile easy run, 3 x 110

SATURDAY WORKOUTS

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3. After placing 2nd in the Pac-8 championships, 6th in the NCAA championships (All-American), and making the US national junior team, I qualified & ran in 1972 US Olympic Trials. Dave Wottle (in the hat) won the trials in a world record time and then won the gold medal at the Olympics in Munich.

9/25/71		3miles				16:20		Time trial … I ran 3 miles in 16:20 … the fastest 6 mile was 30:17
10/2/71		880				1:56		Time trial … 880 in 1:56, 5 mile easy run, 4 x 330
10/9/71		3miles				15:32		Time trial … I ran 3 miles in 15:32, 2 mile jog, 4 x 330 (49, 47, 46, 40)
10/16/71		3+miles				15:35		Time trial … A touch over 3 miles in 15:35
10/23/71		9miles				54:12		A timed distance run … approx 9 miles on the road … first mile 5:20 with finish time at 54:12, 4 x 330 (48) on track
10/30/71		3miles				15:45		Time trial … a touch over 3 miles in 15:45 (same course as 2 weeks earlier and 10 seconds slower)
11/13/71								3 sets of (660, 440, 330, 220, 110), 3 mile medium paced run
11/20/71								20 x 220 (averaged about 29) with 1 minute rest between each
12/4/71		660				1:23		Time trial (rainy, cold, many puddles) … 660 in 1:23, 3 mile easy run, 3 x 330 (47, 44, 39)
12/11/71		880				1:54.6		Time trial … 880 in 1:54.6 (my fastest 880 ever!)
1/15/72								10 x 220 (30), 3 mile easy run
1/22/72		990				2:10.2		Time trial … 990 in 2:10.2 (1:55 at 880), easy jog, 6 x 330 (cutdown 45 to 42)
1/29/72		1000yd		1st		2:14.2		Indoor Competition on wooden track, won 1000 yard race in 2:14.2.
2/19/72		770				1:37		Time trial … 770 in 1:37 (55.5 at 440, 1:23 at 660), 2 x 165, light jog, 3 x 110
2/26/72								1320 (3:27), 2 x 880 (2:10), 3 x 440 (62, 59, 55.5), 4 x 220 (cutdown 30 to 25), 3 mile easy run, 3 x 110
3/4/72		880				1:51.4		Time trial … 1:51.4 (55 at 440, 1:23.5 at 660) … my fastest time ever at 880!
3/11/72								Fast pace … 440 (51.9), 2 x 220 (25, 24), 3 x 110 (12.5), 3 mile easy run, 3 x 220 (28, 26, 24)
3/18/72		880		1st		1:52.3		Fresno California Meet … 1st 880 1:52.3
3/18/72		880		1st		1:52.0		3/25/72Bakersfield California Meet … 1st 880 1:52.0
4/1/72		880		1st		1:49.2		Oregon Invitation in Eugene … 1st 880 1:49.2
4/18/72		880		1st		1:50.8		at University of Washington … 1st 880 1:50.8
4/15/72		880		1st		1:49.4		at University of Nebraska … 1st 880 1:49.4
4/23/72		600yd		1st		1:09.9		(Sunday) – Oregon Twilight Meet in Eugene … 1st 600 yards 1:09.9 (50.5 at 440)
4/29/72		660				1:21.7		Workout of simulated 880 of 660 (1:21.7), 880 jog, 220 (24.5), long jog, 2 x 110 (11.6, 11.1)
5/6/72		880		1st		1:49.8		Oregon State in Eugene … 1st 880 1:49.8
5/13/72		880		2nd		1:49.y		Northern Division at Corvallis Oregon … 2nd 1:49.7 (Pat Collins won 1:49.5)
5/19/72		880		2nd		1:51.0		(Friday) – Pac-10 Trials … 2nd 1:51.0
5/20/72		880		2nd		1:48.6		(Saturday) – Pac-10 Finals … 2nd 880 1:48.6
5/21/72		550				66.8		(Sunday) – Simulated 880 for 3 race days in a row … 550 (66.8), 1 lap jog, 3 x 110 (11.8, 12.2, 11.5)
5/27/72								No meet so sharpening workout of 6 x 330 (40.3, 40.7, 38.8, 40.4, 39.2, 38.5) with 330 jog between each
6/1/72		800		Heat		1:48.4		(Thursday) – NCAA Prelims in Eugene … 800 in 1:48.4
6/2/72		800		Heat		1:48.9		(Friday) – NCAA Semi-Finals in Eugene … 800 in 1:48.9
6/3/72		800		7th		1:47.7		(Saturday) – NCAA Finals in Eugene … 6th in 1:47.7 (winner was Willie Thomas of Tennessee in 1:47.1)

His teammate Steve Bence recalled Prefontaine's charisma and crowd appeal. Perhaps the most poignant memory is the energy that Pre brought to the track. I compared it to bullfights that I went to while a high school student in Spain. Pre entenring the tracks was lin the bull entering the ring. He would burst on to the track, it seemed that all heads would turn and the excitement and anticipation in the place would take off. He helped create a very special environment.

Although sometimes difficult to describe in words, runners and non-runners alik stated that they considred Pre's Rock to be a place of spirituality, contemplation, or 'presence'. Kenny Moore and Steve Bence, former friends of Prefontaine who have visited Pre's rock many times, said that the site is a place where people attempt to make a 'connection' to the spirit of of Prefontaine whether regard as inspirational or spiritual.

Prefontaine went over to half-miler Steve Bence, who had fallen in a relay race in the Pacific Eight championships and had broken his jaw. Now, with fourteen stitches in his chine and his mouth wird shut, Bence faced his last chance to meet the NCAA qualifying standard of 1:49.8. Pefontaine bent close and spoke intensely. "I don't think I could do what you're doing, " he said.:\"So why don't you make it worthwhile?Bence nodded, silent, and Prefontaine withdrew to watch. With 220 yards to go, Bence had a chance but could not kick. Prefontaine turned away.

Shrines and Pilgrimage in the modern World, Chapter 8, Daniel Wojcik PhD, pages 202 and 222. Best Efforts, Kenny Moore, page 75.